Elan Shipping selects TIPTO®TWELVE for sustainable barge

When Captain Sean Zwering of Elan Shipping was selecting mooring ropes for his new environmentally friendly barge, Elan, experience told him to go to Lankhorst Ropes. 

“After 10 years in my family's inland shipping business, working up from deckhand to captain, I was able to build my own vessel for transporting dry cargo. When designing the barge, it was very important to us that we operate in a safe and sustainable manner. So, we wanted to work with products and suppliers that could help us achieve this,” said Captain Zwering.  

“On my last vessel we had recently started to work with Lankhorst's TIPTO®TWELVE ropes and were really happy with them. I've worked with many ropes in my career, and the experience I had with Lankhorst's ropes is by far the best. We chose to work with TIPTO®TWELVE again for many reasons; it is light weight, flexible, extremely strong as well as durable, which makes the rope very economical. TIPTO® fibers don't absorb water, which keeps the ropes light for our crew. Also, TIPTO®TWELVE is very easy to use on our winches.”

Commenting, Aly Jacobi, Inland Shipping Territory Manager, said, “We are very happy that Captain Zwering's experience of Lankhorst's ropes meant he wanted to continue working with them on his new vessel. With TIPTO®TWELVE mooring ropes and TIPTOP® fenders on board, Lankhorst Ropes is able to contribute to the sustainable running of the barge. Each TIPTOP® fender is made from recycled and recyclable, high quality plastic, while TIPTO®TWELVE can also be recycled into new plastic products once the rope has been retired.”

Recycling of Ropes

As part of Lankhorst's commitment to sustainability, retired ropes made from the TIPTO® fiber as well as many others can be recycled into a range of products including KLP® Deck Covers made by Lankhorst Engineered Products.  

Rope recycling is the final stage in Lankhorst's 'Through Life, For Life' service model; starting with green manufacture, Lankhorst then works with operators to ensure they have the right rope for their application and that everyday performance is maximized. Lankhorst supports the crew through installation and provides the latest crew training to ensure proper maintenance and inspection; together with residual strength testing these ensure rope service life is optimized.